‘Ninja Turtles’ Return to 2D in First Look at Nickelodeon’s ‘Rise’ Reboot

We’ve seen the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles take on foam latex, computer animation and horrifying photo-realism, and it’s time to “cowabunga” back to the start. See Nickleodeon’s new 2D Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in first photos from the 2018 series.

After announcing its voice cast and a few changes to the lineup, Nickelodeon released first photos and character design details from the new series debuting later this year. In addition to the group shot, visible below are “jagged-shelled Raphael as a snapping turtle, wielding twin tonfas as his weapons; Leonardo as a red-eared slider, using an ōdachi sword; Donatello as a soft-shell turtle, sporting a tech-bo staff; and Michelangelo as a box turtle, arming himself with a kusari-fundo”:

As previously revealed, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will feature Ballers star Omar Miller as team leader Raphael, DuckTales voice Ben Schwartz as Leonardo, Silicon Valley star Josh Brener as Donatello, You’re the Worst favorite Brandon Mychal Smith as Michelangelo and Erica Bauza as Splinter. The Vampire Diaries star Kat Graham will play April, who will also be portrayed as African-American for the first time, while John Cena will play villain “Baron Draxum, an alchemist warrior mutant who seeks to turn all of humanity into mutants.” Here’s how the new 2D series is described:

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles follows Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello and Michelangelo on all-new adventures as they seek to unlock the mystical secrets of New York City. From the tallest skyscraper to the dankest sewer drain, the Turtles will encounter absurd new mutants and battle bizarre creatures all while enjoying their favorite slice of pizza. Tapping into mystic, ninja powers they never knew existed, the four brothers must learn to work together and navigate the perils of the modern age and hidden realms in order to fulfill their destiny to become a team of heroes.

Prior Nickelodeon Turtles voice actor (and Raphael from the 1987 series) Rob Paulsen will voice direct the series, which itself is co-executive produced by Samurai Jack designer Andy Suriano and former Turtles supervising producer Ant Ward. The 26-episode first season will premiere later this year.